The U.S. Department of Justice presents the full text of an article entitled "A Resource Guide on Racial Profiling Data Collection Systems: Promising Practices and Lessons Learned," by Deborah Ramirez, Jack McDevitt, and Amy Farrell. The article discusses the problems related to racial profiling, data collection goals and limitations, and recommendations for traffic stop data collection systems.

In recent years, racial profiling has drawn the attention of state and federal governments. In this book, racial profiling is defined as the practice of targeting individuals for police or security interdiction, detention, or other disparate treatment based primarily on their race, ethnicity, or national origin in the belief that certain minority groups are more likely to engage in unlawful behaviour. Assertions that law enforcement personnel at all levels unfairly target certain racial and ethnic groups, particularly but not exclusively for traffic stops and searches, have raised concerns about violations of the Constitution. The major debate on racial profiling centres on whether the practice should be prohibited entirely and whether data on traffic stops and searches should be collected to determine if the practice is occurring. This book gathers presents the major issues, available data, and analyses important to understanding on the most dangerous and divisive practices of our time.

`If the First Edition was an invaluable guide for students, the Second is well nigh indispensable. I can think of no better starting point for those wanting a "quick fix" on any given criminological topic' - Professor Tony Jefferson, Keele University `Since its initial publication in 2001, I've steadfastly kept The SAGE Dictionary of Criminology within easy reach of my desk, referring to it countless times in writing articles, books, and lectures. I've found it to be a remarkable book - a comprehensive dictionary, certainly, but as much so a significant achievement in intellectual inquiry. It may seem odd to say of a dictionary, but it really is one of my favourite books; the only book that can replace it on my deskside bookshelf is this Second Edition, whose new entries confirm the editors' grasp of contemporary criminology in all its excitement and complexity' - Professor Jeff Ferrell, Texas Christian University `The welcome inclusion of entries on contemporary theoretical and policy concerns ranging from Anti Social Behaviour, Eco crime and Emotions through Forensic Anthropology, Globalisation, Governance and Mentoring to Sex Crime, Virtual Criminology and What Works?, adds to the well established strengths of the first edition. The entries, all written by established scholars, provide a clear, concise and critical introduction to criminological concepts and constitute an invaluable resource for all criminology students and academics' - Professor Hazel Croall, Glasgow Caledonian University 'It is unusual for a dictionary to be interesting, but this one manages to be both compelling and useful for faculty and students across a range of disciplines and orientations who are commonly interested in criminology. The SAGE Dictionary of Criminology is also distinctive in providing a literally encyclopaedic compendium of information that has been carefully placed in social, cultural and political contexts.' - Professor Lynn Chancer, Hunter College, City University of New York `The list of new entries is quite impressive. Once you've read them, you start to wonder how come that the First Edition of The SAGE Dictionary of Criminology already felt so complete' - Dr René van Swaaningen, Erasmus University, Rotterdam `Thoughtful evaluations of the key concepts criminologists must think about by quality contributors who include many of the world's leading criminologists' - Professor John Braithwaite, Australian National University The Second Edition of the bestselling SAGE Dictionary of Criminology is the ultimate reference tool for students of criminology and criminal justice. It provides an accessible introduction to key theories, concepts and topics, offering comprehensive guidance through the field. The editors have brought together a group of internationally prominent academics and practitioners to produce this definitive reference and research tool. Each entry contains: " a definition of the concept or topic " distinctive features offering detailed comment on the concept's origins, development and general significance " evaluation of those concepts considered to have greatest theoretical weight and lasting legacy " associated concepts for cross-referencing and mapping connections across various fields and issues " key readings to enable the student to take their knowledge further The new edition contains thirty-six new entries covering subjects such as anti-social behaviour, globalization, human trafficking and terrorism. Selected entries have been revised and updated. This comprehensive text is the essential reference point for all students of criminology and criminal justice, at all levels. Praise for the First Edition `The compilers have done criminology a tremendous service. This dictionary is an invaluable resource for students and teachers and I'm certain will be a key reference work for years to come' - Professor Tim Newburn, London School of Economics `Great dictionaries inform, intrigue and investigate. McLaughlin and Muncie's perceptive collection does all three. The SAGE Dictionary of Criminology is wide and accessible enough to interest anyone concerned with crime, the law and the panoply of issues and explanations that surround them. This admirable volume will inform, guide and contribute to debates in the years ahead' - Ellis Cashmore, Professor of Culture, Media and Sport, Staffordshire University, author of Dictionary of Race and Ethnic Relations and co-editor of Dictionary of Cultural Theorists `McLaughlin and Muncie have assembled an impressive list of international contributors and have succeeded in putting together a wonderfully entertaining book... the Dictionary belongs on every criminologist's bookshelf' - Professor George Mair, Liverpool John Moores University (Criminal Justice: An International Journal 2:2) `The main strength of the project... lies in its attempts at integration of a wide range of themes and theoretical perspectives under one set of covers' - Professor John Raine, University of Birmingham (Youth Justice 2:1) `There is a genuine international feel to the compilation as a whole.... Nowadays, such has criminology grown, it is barely possible to keep up even in a narrowly defined sub-field, and a new dictionary is essential. Anyway, we will all have to read it because our students will. What a relief that it is such a pleasure to do so' - Jason Ditton, University of Sheffield (British Journal of Criminology 43:2)

Many racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians, and others, have historically faced severe discriminationâ€"pervasive and open denial of civil, social, political, educational, and economic opportunities. Today, large differences among racial and ethnic groups continue to exist in employment, income and wealth, housing, education, criminal justice, health, and other areas. While many factors may contribute to such differences, their size and extent suggest that various forms of discriminatory treatment persist in U.S. society and serve to undercut the achievement of equal opportunity. Measuring Racial Discrimination considers the definition of race and racial discrimination, reviews the existing techniques used to measure racial discrimination, and identifies new tools and areas for future research. The book conducts a thorough evaluation of current methodologies for a wide range of circumstances in which racial discrimination may occur, and makes recommendations on how to better assess the presence and effects of discrimination.

This volume of the series was designed to provide a comprehensive primer on the existing best practices and emerging developments in the study and design research on crime and criminology. The work as a whole includes chapters on the measurement of criminal typologies, the offenders, offending and victimization, criminal justice organizations, and specialized measurement techniques. Each chapter is written by experts in the field and they provide an excellent survey of the literature in the relevant area. More importantly, each chapter provides a description of the various methodological and substantive challenges presented in conducting research on these issues and denotes possible solutions to these dilemmas. An emphasis was placed on research that has been conducted outside of the United States and was designed to give the reader a broader more global understanding of the social context of research. The goal of this volume is to provide a definitive reference for professionals in the field, researchers, and students. This volume in the Handbooks in Criminology and Criminal Justice series identifies the principal topical areas of research in this field and summarizes the various methodological and substantive challenges presented in conducting research on these issues. In each chapter, authors provide a summary of the prominent data collection efforts in the topical area, provide an overview of the current methodological work, discuss the challenges in the measurement of central concepts in the subject area, and identify new horizons emerging in data collection and measurement. We encouraged authors to discuss work conducted in an international context and to incorporate discussion of qualitative methodologies when appropriate.